Cole’s<\/a> also has a limited lunch menu and according to the lady at the Courthouse Gift Shop, they have the best chicken salad around. Since we had eaten a late breakfast, we did not try any of the lunch options on this visit, but I may need to go back soon to get a taste of that chicken salad!<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt was getting close to show time, so we made our way back to the courthouse. As we strolled across the lawn, suddenly we saw an antique truck pop the curb coming in our direction Yikes!!!! As we jumped to get out of the way, we realized the driver of the truck was a good friend from our church and the county District Attorney. He had a good laugh at seeing us dodge his vehicle! It turns out that he was a cast member in the play that day. This is the twentieth year that he has been involved in this production. He got started when his kids were in the play themselves. This year he is playing the part of the bad guy – Bob Ewell. He puts his all into playing this role. It was fun to see a real-life cast member that we know in real life!<\/p>\n\n\n\nA few minutes later, we heard a cackle and saw that it was another Brewtonian who was in town for the show! This friend is the life of the party and you know you are going to have fun when she’s around! We were enjoying the festive atmosphere. There was a good mix of locals and tourists. As we waited for the show to start, it was fun to hear stories of the play from years past! We were all having such a great time on this lighthearted morning which had now turned into early afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe first part of the play is presented outside on the courthouse lawn. The show began and our group, along with the audience of 200 or so, was transported back in time to the 1930s in South Alabama. To Kill a Mockingbird<\/strong><\/em> was a book on the required reading list in my high school English class. It forces the reader to look deep into one’s own soul to determine what prejudice exists in the hidden places of the heart. The reader must acknowledge that just because things are commonplace and agreed upon by the mob mentality, it doesn’t mean they are moral or ethical. As I viewed the play with my husband, daughter, and a group of Christian friends, I found myself wrestling with history and things that were part of everyday life in the South not so many years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor the second half of the play, the audience was gathered upstairs in the old Monroe County Courthouse. I heard the most beautiful voice singing from the upper chamber of the courtroom. As I turned my head in that direction, I realized that the voice was familiar. The voice I was hearing was the voice of a friend. She was singing a solo as the choir echoed. My eyes were flooding with tears! This was my friend that I had known since middle school. I have seen her grow into a godly wife and mother serving the Lord faithfully in her church and community. She is making a difference in the lives of everyone she knows. I had no idea she was involved in the play!<\/p>\n\n\n\nI wish I could say that the story has a happily-ever-after ending, but that is not the case. It ends in a way that penetrates and convicts the heart. As soon as the show ended, I knew that I had to say something to my friend. I said all the normal things a person would say\u2026.”I’m so glad to see you today!” “You did great!” “You have an awesome voice!”. What I was saying was true, but in my heart, I was compelled to say more\u2026. I heard more words coming out of my mouth\u2026 “I hated that story\u2026. I’m sad that things like this ever happened. I love you, my friend.” As I hugged my friend that day, I hope she knows how true and heartfelt my words were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You know\u2026 it takes a lot of people to produce a play like To Kill a Mockingbird<\/strong><\/em>. Everyone has a role to play and everyone must work together to accomplish their assigned task. Life is like that, too. Every person is created with a purpose and we must all work together. No one is better or more important than another. Sometimes we don’t understand each other, but like Atticus Finch says in To Kill a Mockingbird<\/strong><\/em>, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” Maybe we should all try doing that a little more in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAs we walked to the car and drove away, I wanted to go back to the lightheartedness we experienced that morning in downtown Monroeville, Alabama. But unfortunately, that lighthearted, carefree feeling had been replaced by the heaviness of life and the reliving of some hard times in our state’s history. I don’t want this day to be wasted\u2026. I hope and pray that I will take the lesson of this day and make it count for tomorrow. I pray this for each city, community, neighborhood, family, and individual. I pray that our future is better than our past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sampling the South<\/strong>\u2026don’t waste the lesson!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This past Saturday started as a lighthearted day. We had been given matinee tickets to the play To Kill a Mockingbird which is held annually in Monroeville, Alabama, the hometown of its author – Harper Lee. My husband Cavin and I thought this would be a special day to enjoy with our daughter Christian who […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":933,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"WB4WB4WP_MODE":"","WB4WP_PAGE_SCRIPTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_STYLES":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FONTS":"","WB4WP_PAGE_HEADER":"","WB4WP_PAGE_FOOTER":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[57,56,103,104,102,100,99,60,101],"class_list":["post-934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-cavin-cawthon","tag-charlotte-cawthon","tag-christian-cawthon","tag-coles-ice-cream-coffee","tag-monroe-county-alabama","tag-monroeville","tag-monroeville-alabama","tag-sampling-the-south","tag-to-kill-a-mockingbird"],"yoast_head":"\n
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